MS Dhoni's presence at 2019 World Cup a huge plus for Virat Kohli: Sunil Gavaskar

Mumbai: There has been a raging debate about MS Dhoni’s future after the Indian cricket team selection committee recently dropped him for the T20I series against West Indies at home and against Australia away.

The veteran cricketer’s waning influence with the bat has raised serious concerns about his ability with the countdown for ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup already begun.

However, Sunil Gavaskar feels that MS Dhoni is irreplaceable for the Men in Blue given his skill of organising clever field placements and offering valuable inputs from behind the stumps.

"Virat Kohli needs Dhoni. There's no doubt about it. In 50 overs where there is that much more time, that's when MSD comes into play. You know he makes those small field adjustments, talking to the bowlers in Hindi – telling them where to bowl and what to bowl. It's a huge plus for Virat," the former India captain was quoted as saying during the post-match analysis show.

Although India skipper Kohli might have other experienced players to call upon for help when needed, Gavaskar believes Dhoni’s presence for the showpiece event in England will be vital.

"MSD is an absolute must for the 2019 World Cup. But having said that, I believe, the way Rohit Sharma has come to the party as a captain, as a thinker, as a planner. He has been brilliant. With Rohit coming in and also Ajinkya Rahane, Virat has a couple more shoulders to lean on. Therefore, I think this [is a] move to have MS Dhoni take a break from T20I cricket," he added.